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Monday, March 17, 2014

Session finishes up without a transportation package, but with a disability parking bill!

As you probably know, the legislature finished up its business late last week without passing a new transportation plan. Despite pleas from all sorts of transportation advocates (including MS Activists!), legislators could not reach an agreement about how to fix Washington's transportation problems. It's hard to know where to place the blame, but the long and short is that we won't stop talking about the need for additional funding for special needs transportation any time soon.While talking to legislators about the need to increase funding for accessible transportation, it's become pretty apparent that this is a big issue for people with MS. The stories from people with MS show the significant need for additional transportation options for people with MS and others who can't drive. While many legislators have been sympathetic, our request has been caught up in debates around contracting, union wages, and environmental protections. We'll continue to push for more funding for special needs transportation, so if you haven't already, it's not too late to take action!On a brighter note, our efforts to protect disabled parking for people with MS paid off. The Legislature passed House Bill 2463 last week with unanimous votes in the House and Senate. MS activists should be proud to know that our work at the Day of Activism in February paid off. Relationships that activists have built over time with their elected officials have been the key to our advocacy efforts and we are grateful that the MS community makes it a priority to get involved in government. Your work improves the lives of people with MS and for that, we are grateful!